SPORTS
Bowie’s Dominion Boxing brings combat sports to the county
Dominion Boxing is hosting its 11th Smoker Fight night starting at 5:30 p.m. on June 19.
Next month will mark a year since the combat focused workout gym/emerging fighting team started hosting Smoker Fights which was key to its explosive growth.
Smoker Fights are unsanctioned exhibitions fighters use to get ready for a sanctioned fight, or the smoke before the fire so to say. Winning and losing isn’t important, its about getting live rounds against an opponent.
They are generally hosted at gyms and are not well publicized or have much flare to them.
Owner and operator of Dominion Boxing Eric Villarreal has been apart of his far share after his recent entry into the fighting world. He wanted his Smoker Fights to be different.
“We travelled all over Texas and saw sanctioned real fights,” Villarreal said. “Those would be productions, they would be shows. There would be lighting, ticket sales, alcohol sales. We took a little bit of that world, the showmanship and we transferred it the Smoker Fights.”
While the production quality is there, it was also the timing of it all that attracted fighters from all over.
“During COVID every gym was closed and there was nowhere to go,” Villarreal said. “We kind of cashed in on that because we were still holding fights in Bowie because the restrictions were a little less here.”
As more and more people have come on and started making the gym in Bowie their home base of operations, more and more opportunities are sprouting up for Dominion Boxing.
“We have both the cardio fitness model and the now organically, we just fell into having this competitive fighting model, both streamlining out of the same facility,” Villarreal said. “I don’t know how we got here because if I could understand it I could undo it. It just organically happened with me letting go of control and letting the people build the gym.”
Mixed martial arts and grappling coaches have come to the gym to help the growing stable of local fighters train for bouts all across the southern part of the country on weekends. The fight team at the gym is called Dominion Training Camp.
Villarreal is in the process of getting his license so they can start hosting sanctioned fights. He hopes to be approved by this fall.
Once he is licensed the city of Bowie has already approved he can move the show to the community center to host MMA fight nights since the gym can hold only so much of the crowds coming to the Smoker Fights every month.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona got its new press box into place this week at Jack Crane Stadium. The old press box, which was in place for more than 60 years, was taken out in early June and moved to Indian Valley Raceway. The new press box was by the Southern Bleacher Company out of Graham. Athletic Director Black Crutsinger said they looked at a lot of press boxes and decided they liked the one at Lindsay High School and went with that model. Sean Hutson operated the crane from the Hurd Crane Service that put the press box up for Nocona.
Sunset native Cason Richey (right) and his team roping partner Beldon Cox from Weatherford repeated as the International Finals Youth Rodeo champions last weekend at Shawnee, OK. Richey and Cox won the previous year and were able to complete the repeat by catching three steers in a combined time of 16.6 seconds. Richey is expected to compete attend Texas Tech University this fall and compete on the rodeo team.
The Chisholm Trail Youth Rodeo had its awards ceremony this week, giving out plaques and buckles to the top competitors throughout the summer season.
There were four age categories with five events to compete in for the young athletes.
Along with the best results in each event, at the end the overall best cowboy and cowgirl in each age division was awarded as well.
The lead line division, in which an adult helps the young competitors, saw Rylee Stewart win the first in poles, barrel racing and mystery event on her way to win top cowgirl.
Hattie Snow got the fastest time in the flags event and Lany Shupak got the fastest goat time. Riggin Bishop got named the top cowboy in the division.
In the eight-and-under division, Whitley Goins won the top cowgirl and Trell Carpenter won top cowboy. Goins got the fastest times in barrel racing, flags and mystery event. Carpenter got the fastest time in poles and goats.
In the 9-12 age division, Sage Keck won the top cowgirl while Chisum Carpenter won the top cowboy. Keck got the fastest times in four of the five divisions. Only Layna Taylor getting the fastest goat time prevented her from winning in a clean sweep.
In the 13-18 age division, Tess Egenbacher won the top overall cowgirl award.
Kiley McCracken won both the barrel racing and flags event. Emma Strahan won the poles and mystery event. Hadlee Bryan won the goats event.
There was no top overall cowboy in the age division.
To see the times for the winners of each event in all four age categories along with pictures of all of the top cowboys and cowgirls, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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